


All the right moves

by PerriewinkleNerdie



Category: Open Heart (Visual Novels)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-19
Updated: 2020-03-19
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:29:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,721
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23218528
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PerriewinkleNerdie/pseuds/PerriewinkleNerdie
Summary: Maybe he's had enough of hiding
Relationships: Ethan Ramsey/Main Character (Open Heart)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 34





	All the right moves

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, hello, hello!  
> It's an idea that flew into my head and kinda refused to let go. It left me no choice, I had to get it out of my system, so here we are :D  
> Enjoy! <3

Ethan loathed the politics with passion. Not all the people involved in it though, just most of them. They were twofaced and fake, which rubbed Ethan the wrong way. If someone was going to lie to his face with an artificial smile, he couldn’t stop himself from cutting their bullshit immediately and just asking them to tell him what they wanted.

Claire, on the other hand, was brilliant with people, and he knew it. She was his lifeline, his saving grace, and he knew that no matter what, he couldn’t deal with it all without her. He couldn’t deal with salesmen without her either, a random thought that he never thought he would have, but here they were.

The diagnostic team was summoned that morning along with the Board of Directors to discuss the new conditions that Edenbrook had to face. Naveen was twisting his fingers restlessly when Ethan opened the door for him and Claire to walk through, going so far as to pull out a chair for her before he sat down himself. Of course, everyone knew that Ethan was a gentleman, so his behavior wasn’t that surprising, but the fact that he trailed the resident like her shadow when they were together raised a few eyebrows over the past weeks.

“What did they say?” Claire asked, her voice filled with uncertainty, not only because of the situation, but also because of the setting she was in. Being the youngest in the room, she felt as though she maybe shouldn’t or couldn’t speak. No matter what others thought, Naveen smiled at her sadly, then pushed a stack of papers to the center of the table.

“Their first decision was to take away our funding. No amount of convincing could change their mind, Mass Kenmore seemed like a better option for them. Of course, I wasn’t about to give up without a fight.” He laughed at that, shaking his head and pointing to the second pile of files next to him. “Somehow, I managed to convince them to reconsider. Your input did a lot, that chance is all because of your dedication.” His eyes swept over every single face in the room, warmth and gratitude in them. “And they gave us a condition. Make it happen, and we get our funding back.”

“Sounds like a trap to me.” Ethan muttered, crossing his arms over his chest as he leaned back in his chair. Claire looked back at him, noticing how he tried and failed to look at the bright side of the things.

“They said that, in order to get the money back in our corner, we need to, ridiculous as it sounds, given the fact that they didn’t want to spend any money here in the first place, open a new place for the patients.” The Chief explained, his gestures conveying how ridiculous the condition sounded.

“First they don’t want to give us money, and now they want us to make a place so they can spent _even more_ money here? Idiots.” June chipped in, mumbling the last insult under her breath, but loud enough for everyone to hear, causing the room to laugh, the atmosphere loosening up almost immediately.

“Are there any conditions that the place has to meet?” Claire asked, drumming her fingers against her thigh gently. Ethan’s eyes strayed from the paper he was reading to the movement of her digits before he realized what he was doing. She noticed. Of course she noticed, smirking to herself when she traced a shape of a heart on her jeans and his cheeks reddened slightly, breathing in deeply. Their colleagues seemed oblivious to the teasing they were doing.

“They mentioned something about the amount of rooms and what had to be in them. It’s all in the papers in front of you, but what stuck in my mind was the very complex outline of how the waiting area is supposed to look like.” He reached for the paper, squinting his eyes so he could read what was written on it. “A fireplace, couches, blankets, cafeteria, a patio-“

“That’s ridiculous.” Ethan moved to stand up, only to be stopped by Claire’s hand, grabbing his arm and squeezing lightly. Their eyes met, a silent argument going on for a couple of seconds. Finally, he let out a huffed breath and sat back down, leaving Claire with a satisfied grin.

“So, what we should do now is… start looking for a house? Cause that’s what it is, right?” she asked, shrugging her shoulders slightly. It really was ludicrous, just like Ethan said, but in their current circumstance, they couldn’t do much.

“Essentially, yes. I’ve already looked into a couple of locations, and I think some of them have potential. But of course, we won’t know until we go there and see it for ourselves.” Naveen summed up everything with a bright smile, a glimmer of hope in his posture.

“We can start visiting those places after our shifts are over.” Baz chimed in, beating his hands against the table a couple of times, then standing up.

“Unfortunately, we don’t have enough time to wait that long. If we’re going to find a place, get renovations done and move our patients there, we need to act now. I’ve already cleared Ethan’s, Claire’s and mine schedules, we’re leaving in twenty minutes.”

The meeting ended a few minutes later, and all the doctors left the room. Claire went back to the locker room to leave her white coat and grab her handbag. By the time she reached Naveen’s car, both men were already there, visibly arguing.

“I need my map, Ethan, and I won’t be able to look at it if it’s in the back seat.” Naveen grinned mischievously, leaning against the hood of his vehicle. Ethan’s face hardened, slowly realizing what the older man was trying to do.

“I can hold your map if you really need it, but may I remind you that you have a GPS?” he argued, trying his hardest to mess up whatever plan his mentor’s mind has created.

“Oh no, that won’t be necessary.” The Chief opened the door, threw his bag and coat into the front seat, then turned around to say something, when he noticed Claire approaching them. “Dr. Herondale! Just in time, we’re about to head over to the first location.”

Ethan’s eyes looked over her briefly, his eyes widening when he saw the outline of the heart she drew during the meeting, still on her thigh. He cleared his throat to distract from the rather obvious rush of blood to his cheeks, for the second time that day.

Naveen nudged his head towards the car, indicating for Ethan to get in, then opened the door for Claire with a megawatt smile. She thanked him quietly, sitting next to Ethan without a single word, but her eyes locked on him. Her eyebrow shot up at the sullen look on his face, unsure what that was all about. Mostly because they didn’t have time, but also because they had company, she decided not to dig. At least for now.

Twenty minutes later, they reached the first destination. A large house on the beach, made of wood, with large windows. There seemed to be a bit of a backyard, but other than that, it was a plain building. Claire didn’t see the potential in the place, but for the sake of being precise, they had to see it. She could see Ethan scowling at the sight before him, and the last thing they needed was for him to be angry, so she walked past him, pinching his arm briefly.

“Chin up, smile on, Ramsey. You’re going to scare the walls off.” She turned around and began walking backwards to wink at him. He stopped dead in his tracks and watched her disappear into the house. Naveen stood next to him, smirking at the influence the young woman had on his friend.

“How long?” he asked quietly, waiting for the attending to look at him. Ethan took a deep breath, debating whether he should let him know that he knows exactly what he was asking or not.

“Since Dolores died.” A deep sigh escaped Ethan’s lips, his eyes falling shut. Before that exact moment, he thought about it only one or two times. And every time, he realized that it’s been going on for so long, that he barely remembered what it was like to not have her in his head.

“And how long are you going to be a stubborn ass?” Naveen asked again, waiting for the other man’s eyes to snap open in shock.

“Did you just call me an ass?”

“No, I called you a stubborn ass. You already know when she entered that mind of yours. You also know that no matter how hard you try, you can’t cut her out. So, it seems to me like it’s time to give yourself a chance to be happy.” The Chief concluded, seeing the battle that was going on in the head of the younger doctor. Heavy burden and underlying weariness were painfully visible in his eyes and on his face.

“I know I can’t run forever. I’m not that strong, I _am_ going to break at some point. But that could be going hand in hand with a scandal. If I can postpone it, protect her, even if only for one more day, I will.”

“Did you think that maybe she doesn’t want you to protect her like that?” Naveen pointed out, opening his mouth to say more but in that moment, Claire walked back outside, shaking her head to confirm what they all already knew. Without another moment of hesitation, they went back to the car and moved on. Ethan’s head was swimming with all the possibilities and ways to resolve the knot in his head. He could feel her eyes on him, warming up the side of his face, wanting nothing more than to reach out for her, to tell her everything that weight on his mind, but it was not the time nor the place for that conversation.

Another thirty minutes passed, and their car got stuck in a bit of a traffic, right before they were to reach the next location. Naveen caught Claire’s eyes in the rearview mirror, and a second later, music blasted from the speakers and the two of them started singing at the top of their lungs. She laughed, leaning into Ethan and pulling him to her, trying to make him sway in time with the music. He knew his scowl wouldn’t discourage her, but he tried anyway, noticing how she smirked and then threw her arm over his shoulder, bringing their faces close together. Her voice got softer and gentler, singing quietly. Looking into the rearview mirror, he caught Naveen’s gaze. His mentor winked at him, nudging his head towards Claire, hoping to encourage Ethan, but all he got was a glare.

“Why do I put up with both of you?” he muttered, loud enough for both of his companions to hear.

“Because you love us, and you can’t live without our brilliant humor?” the older doctor offered, eliciting a laugh from Claire and a scoff from Ethan.

After what seemed like forever, they stepped into the second location. Naveen walked ahead, leaving the pair behind. They walked in silence, looking around the rooms, trying to gather all the changes and renovations that would need to be done, realizing more and more that it was pointless. The building was old, walls were falling apart, floors were damaged beyond repair and window frames were barely hanging onto the walls.

Claire was examining the ceiling when Ethan tripped over some debris and stumbled into her, sending them both onto floor. His hand wrapped around the back of her neck to shield it from the impact, not having enough time to do anything else. He kept himself up on his arm to avoid falling on top of her, a sharp pain radiating from his elbow to his shoulder. Their faces were inches apart, both of them breathing heavily, but neither saying a word. It’s been a while since they were this close together, and while they knew there was nothing remotely emotional about their circumstance, the silent exchange between their eyes told a different story.

Ethan’s nose brushed against hers, his gaze falling to her lips and lingering there for a much longer moment than it should. When he looked at her again, he saw vulnerability and impossible softness in her eyes, something he knew for a fact that she could see in his too. The distance between their faces grew smaller and smaller, until their lips were mere inches apart. He could barely hear a thing that happened around him, his blood was rushing in his ears, tuning out everything else.

“Now that is a beautiful sight.” Naveen’s voice broke the connection between them, causing their heads to snap to the side, only now noticing the Chief, who must have been standing there for quite some time, watching the situation unfold. Ethan cleared his throat, shooting up to his feet, then offering his hand to Claire. She took it gratefully, letting him pick her up, both of them avoiding looking at each other or their friend. “Come on, you two. We have a few more places to see.”

Maybe they expected it to be the case, maybe they didn’t, but it turned out that every place they visited was worse than the one before. How that was even possible, they didn’t know, but somehow, each building was falling apart more than the previous one, slowly, gradually descending into the pits of despair. They were ready to throw the idea away altogether and just give up, when they pulled up to the last location.

It didn’t look like anything they were looking for. Stone walls, floors lined with stone panels, white windows and wooden door. Everything made up a warm feeling to the place, inviting to take a look inside. Claire smiled gently, being the first one to step forward, leaving the other two behind.

Rooms were big and in a surprisingly good state. Various tables and chairs were scattered among the building, some had couches and armchairs. She found a piano in the room at the very end of a house, sitting next to it. Having played it in the past had its perks, but ever since she went to med school, she didn’t have time or opportunities to practice, so all she had going for her was the kinesthetic memory of her body.

Her fingers brushed against the keys, the delicate memory filling the room. She closed her eyes, slowly remembering how the notes went, gaining confidence. As the music went on, she got lost in her head, drowning out her surrounding, reaching with her memory back to the time when her life was easier. She wouldn’t exchange the one she had now, even if she could, but it was nice to look back at her younger self.

Unknown to her, she had two pairs of eyes on her, both stunned into silence. Ethan was enchanted by the melody flowing from underneath her fingers, stepping closer to her like he couldn’t stop himself, until her was standing right behind her, mesmerized. The room soon fell silent, save it for their breaths. Claire’s shoulders moved up and down, her head turning to the side, revealing the smirk on her face.

“You couldn’t possibly be staring harder, Ethan.” She teased him, turning around fully. Ethan’s cheeks reddened slightly, his gaze avoiding her. Naveen clapped, smiling widely at her.

“That was beautiful. I didn’t know you could play the piano, Claire.” He applauded her, walking over to them both. She shrugged her shoulders, pressing a random key on the piano.

“My Dad wanted me to play an instrument, but him and my Mom never quite agreed what I should play.”

“What they were torn between?” this time it was Ethan that asked the question, finally finding his voice. Her lips curled into a fond smile.

“Piano and a violin.”

“Piano won I guess.” It was a valid assumption that Naveen made, but, to the surprise of both men, she shook her head, answering with humor in her voice.

“Bold of you both to assume that I didn’t learn both.” She observed how their eyes went wide and then they laughed, Naveen’s whole posture shaking. “My brother had it way easier.”

“He didn’t have to learn any instrument?” Ethan snickered, folding his arms over his chest and leaning against the side of the piano.

“Oh no, he tried. But he is tone-deaf and ‘absolutely garbage’ as my Mom used to say, so they gave up.” she explained, applying her British accent to her Mom’s words.

Without another word, she stood up and moved to another room, still feeling Ethan’s eyes on her. For a man that insisted on them keeping the professional relationship, he spent and awful lot amount of time by her side, observing her, looking at her when he thought no one would notice. She does, every time, and sometimes she chooses to tease him about it, sometimes she lets him think he is sneaky in his actions.

While walking through the long hall, her eyes registered the change in the pattern of the wall. To her left, was a window, with one of the most beautiful stained glass designs she’s ever seen. The sun illuminated it softly, enriching the colors, creating rises and falls, curves, various tones to the pieces that came together in harmony.

“They bring out your freckles.” Ethan’s smooth voice filled the void in her mind, grabbing her attention. She tilted her head slightly, not looking away from the picture in front of her. “And your eyes. They sparkle more, though perhaps it has nothing to do with the light.”

“You must be diagnostician, Dr. Ramsey, for you are very perceptive.” She mused gently, turning to fully look at him. The darker parts of the glass casted intricate swirls onto his face, interlacing with the mimic lines that were already there. Her finger traced one of the paths, barely touching his skin, just enough to make him shiver. He couldn’t fight the smile that pulled on his lips, reflected clearly in his eyes. “There’s that smile I wanted to see.”

Never giving him enough time to say anything, she took a step back, glancing at him with a type of regret that he knew all too well. He felt it every second of every day for what felt like ages, the burden he himself chose to carry, and only he could relief himself of it. All it took was a simple ‘ **yes** ’.

More exploring of the building revealed that they may have found a perfect match. It was big enough to fit the requirements, and new enough to not require that much work to be transformed into a medical place. Just to be sure that they had everything they needed, Naveen decided to split up, leaving Ethan and Claire alone to examine the other part of the house while he inspected the rest and checked the details on the blueprints.

He walked slowly, observing how her eyes lit up when she found a new stained glass or a new fireplace. She skimmed her fingers over the stones on the wall, counting in her head how many rooms they were passing through. Ethan started thinking about to future purposes of the spaces around them, seeing in his mind how it would look once all the renovations were done.

“Ethan.” She muttered softly, standing in the doorway leading outside. He walked over to her side, looking down at her, and when she felt his gaze on her face, she nodded towards the view before them.

The same walls that made up the house lined out the patio, letting in just enough light of the afternoon sun to bathe them both in warmth. His fingers brushed against hers and then slowly laced with them, giving them a gentle squeeze. Her thumb caressed his palm, tracing soothing circles. She took a step forward, then another, pulling him along with her so they could see more.

The multiple plants lined the sides, a small, round garden filled with green bushes. Yet another fireplace with a few seats placed beside it was situated next to the door, an old string of lights hanging over their heads. Ethan reluctantly let her go, focusing on the technical side of the building while she watched the nature.

He did a round along the walls of the patio and then stopped by the table, standing next to the window. His eyes trained on Claire, watching how she muttered to herself about all the different kinds of bushes and flowers.

“I didn’t know you knew your way around plants.” She turned to look at him, brushing her hair behind her shoulder.

“Good to know I can still surprise you.” teasing him, she strolled over to the table he was standing by. He placed his hands on the flat surface, leaning in her direction. “My Mom loves plants, so I picked up a lot of her knowledge when she was gardening in our backyard. She uses every winter evening to read the gardening magazines and she does sketches of her plans.”

“She seems very dedicated to the things she loves. Must be where you’re getting it from.” He mused, his eyes roaming her face with a ghost of a smile. She bit the corner of her lip cheekily, mirroring his stance, their faces close enough for him to notice the golden specks in her eyes.

“Aren’t you smooth.”

The air stood still, not moving even one strand of their hair, the absolute silence deafening. Electricity cracked between them, charging the atmosphere, and to Ethan it seemed as though keeping away from her even a second longer was simply impossible. Like two magnets, the pull was too strong to resist.

His hand grabbed the collar of her shirt, creasing the material, and pulled her to him gently, fitting his lips to hers. She hummed, letting the kiss linger, moving her lips once, twice. She wouldn’t be the one to lean away, he started it, he would have to be the one to end it.

It came later than she thought it would, his face still close, his grip still tight. Their gazes met, her irises so dark they were bordering on being black, just like his. He was afraid to step away, afraid to face the fact that she may realize how much she’s putting herself through for him and just stop trying. Her silence didn’t do anything to make him feel better either.

“Come back.” She whispered, reaching with her hand for him. Her fingers dipped into the gap between the buttons of his shirt, grasping the fabric and yanking him forward, slamming their lips back together.

It was his turn to moan, barely above a whimper, eyes falling back shut. With both hands, he gripped her hips, picking her up and sliding her over the smooth surface towards him. Her knees pressed into his thighs from both sides; she threw her arm over his shoulder, letting her fingers tangle in his hair, her nails scraping his scalp softly.

His embrace was everything at once, both strong and gentle, tight and loose, too much and not enough. Claire leaned backwards a bit with Ethan following suit, the kiss deepening with each move of their lips, with every heavy breath, every single pant and groan that escaped them.

He aimed his assault towards her neck, his stubble tickling her skin more with every move he made. She giggled, combing through his strands, endorphins rushing through her bloodstream. Her ankles crossed behind his back, pushing him a bit closer to her. She pulled him back to her, biting his lower lip and pulling on it, a deep growl reverberating in his chest.

“So… should I leave you two here or…?” Naveen’s voice sliced through the mist in their minds, both of them looking to the side to see their friend, leaning against the wall with arms crossed over his chest and a wide smile. Ethan cleared his throat, taking a step away from Claire, doing anything he could to avoid looking at either of them. “How about that, I’ll go back to the car and give you a few minutes to talk it through. We need to head back soon.”

Once they were alone again, the tingling in his hands appeared again, pushing him to touch her again, to hug her again. Watching her he noticed how she chewed on her lower lip nervously, already feeling yet another rejection from him coming. It stung him to know that he did it enough times for her to expect it.

Something changed. Maybe it was Naveen, much more at ease than either of them when he caught them tangled on top of the table. Maybe it was her, and him not being able to resist her. Or maybe it was simply that he’s kept himself away from her enough times for him to get tired and just give in. No matter what kind of a combination of all those reasons settled into his mind, it caused him to walk back over to her and press his lips to her forehead.

“Come on, we need to go. We have a lot to talk about.” He murmured, catching her hand with his and lacing their fingers together. Her eyes widened slightly, unsure what was happening. He laughed breathlessly, helping her stand up.

Naveen sat behind the steering wheel in his car, combing through his brain to find anything to say to Ethan that would break that stubbornness of his. To him it seemed fairly simple, and he knew for a fact that other people around the couple knew it too. The only blind people in this were Claire and Ethan themselves.

Something flickered in his peripheral vision, making him look up, just in time to see the two of them walking towards the vehicle. Ethan’s face was like an open book, something that didn’t happen often. All the nervousness, anxiety, relief and hope he felt, all right there, spelled out on his features.

Claire was a different story. It was as though they swapped their mind sets and demeanors, most likely due to the severe stress that they’ve both been under. If Ethan was easy to read, she was impossible to decode. _Nothing_ was certain, nothing was clear, but he couldn’t really blame her. From what he gathered, Ethan has pushed her away enough times for her to develop a coping mechanism.

Despite the mixed emotions emanating from them, their hands were intertwined tightly. The touched lingered when he opened the door for her, the faintest of smiles on his lips when he looked at her. She observed him, still hesitant when it came to his sudden surge of delicate affection. It just wasn’t like him to behave like that and she couldn’t shake away the feeling that he would backpedal, and she would end up getting hurt all over again.

As soon as he sat down next to her, he grabbed her hand again, tracing her knuckles with his thumb. He observed her, desperation slipping into his eyes. He was the one that wronged her, he wouldn’t blame her if she didn’t want to talk to him, if she wanted him to leave her alone.

It was as though she could hear the noise in his head, the frightening thoughts that covered everything else. Naveen always knew that she was the one thing that could calm Ethan down, but for the first time in so long, he saw her doing it. Something so simple that it almost seemed impossible to work, and yet it did.

She leaned towards him, slowly and carefully, as though she was defusing a bomb, then rested her head on his shoulder. Both her hands grasped his, her eyes locked on their fingers. Any tension that was in his or her body dissipated soon after they fell into the comfortable science, and Naveen knew that, while they still had a long way to go, they would be alright.


End file.
